The Spy is the English title of a Norwegian movie (a historical and biographical drama based on a true story) which premiered in 2019.
It is about the Norwegian and Swedish actress Sonja Wigert who was a spy during World War Two when Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Original Norwegian title: Spionen
** Director: Jens Jonsson
** Based on the Norwegian book Sonja Wigert: A Double Life by Iselin Theien (2010)
** Screenplay written by Harald Rosenløw-Eeg and Jan Trygve Røyneland
** Languages spoken: Norwegian, Swedish, German, English
** Run time: 110 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Ingrid Bolsø Berdal as Sonja Wigert (1913-1980) – an actress and a spy
** Rolf Lassgård as Thorsten Akrell (1876-1962) – a Swedish secret agent
** Damien Chapelle as Andor Gellert – a Hungarian diplomat who is stationed in Stockholm
** Alexander Sheer as Josef Terboven (1898-1945) – the German high commissioner in Norway
** Erik Hivju as Sigvald Hansen (1881-1954) – Sonja’s father
** Ingrid Vollan as Carmen Franciska Christina Kirsebom Hansen (1887-1951) – Sonja’s mother
** Edvin Endre as Patrik Olsson – a photographer
** Johan Widerberg as Baron Bernd von Gossler
** Gitte Vitt as Vibeke “Vipsen” Falk (1918-2011) – a Norwegian actress
** Julius Feldmeier as Wilhelm Müller-Scheld – a German politician
** Fredrik Lycke as August Finke (1906-1995) – a German politician
** Anders T. Andersen as Leif Sinding (1895-1985) – a Norwegian film director
Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore, I feel free to mention some of them in this review. Besides, I have to mention a few details in order to explain my rating.
While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here. Some details have been added or excluded for practical reasons or for dramatic purposes. But the basic story is true.
Sonja was born and raised in Norway. In 1934, she began her career as an actress. She appeared on the stage in some plays and she made a movie. She had success. Soon, she was a famous actress in Norway.
In 1935, she changed her last name from Hansen to Wigert (which was the name of her grandmother).
In 1939 she married a Swedish writer Torsten Birger Alexis Flodén. The marriage did not last long. It ended in 1941. But when she married Torsten, she became a Swedish citizen and had to surrender her Norwegian passport. This is why she is described as a Norwegian and a Swedish actress.
When she was in Sweden, she also made some movies in Sweden. She had success. Soon, she was a famous actress in Sweden as well as in Norway.
This drama is about her life and work, but it does not cover her whole life from the beginning in 1913 to the end in 1980. It covers only five years: the time when Norway was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War Two (1940-1945).
In April 1940, Germany invaded and occupied Denmark and Norway. Sweden was neutral. Was Germany going to respect Swedish neutrality? Or was Sweden going to be the next victim of German expansionism? Nobody knew the answer.
Members of the Swedish government wanted to know as much as possible about Germany’s plan for the future. They knew that the German high commissioner Josef Terboven wanted to meet with Sonja Wigert. They contacted her and urged her to meet with him. They wanted her to work for Sweden. They wanted her to get close to him and find some German secrets. Sonja agreed to do this. She became his mistress and began to work as a Swedish spy.
In the beginning, Terboven trusted her. He trusted her so much that he asked her to work for Germany. He wanted her to go to Sweden and work with secret German agents in Sweden. Sonja told her Swedish contacts about this. They urged her to say yes. She did. This is how Sonja became a double agent.
When she was in Norway, she was working for Sweden. She spied on the Germans. When she was in Sweden, she pretended to work for Germany. This worked for a while. But towards the end of the war, her cover was blown, and she had to stop working as a spy and remain in Sweden.
In this drama, we follow some of her activities in Norway and in Sweden. She was a very busy woman:
** She was a double agent
** She had to work as an actress
** She wanted to enjoy her free time and meet with her friends, including the Hungarian diplomat Andor Gellert
What do reviewers say about this drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 60 percent, which corresponds to three stars on Amazon.
If you ask me, this rating is too low. On the other hand, I cannot go all the way to the top, because this drama has some flaws. Let me explain:
# 1. LOCATION – Where are we?
Some scenes are set in Oslo, the capital of Norway; some scenes are set in and around Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.
When we see Josef Terboven, we know we are in Oslo, because he is based in Norway. When we see Andor Gellert, we know we are in and around Stockholm, because he is based in Sweden.
But when we do not see them, it is not always easy to know where we are. This is a bit confusing.
# 2. TRANSPORT – Moving from place to place
Sonja moves back and forth between Norway and Sweden many times. She takes the train from Oslo to Stockholm or from Stockholm to Oslo. But we almost never see her on the train.
The drama gives us the impression that a journey from one capital to the other can be done in one or two hours. But this is not the case. Even today, when trains are fast, the journey from Oslo to Stockholm may take 6-8 hours on the train.
During World War Two, there was an extra hurdle: crossing the border between Norway, which was occupied by Nazi Germany, and Sweden, which was a neutral country.
The Germans wished to know who wanted to leave Norway
and who wanted to enter Norway. It must have taken quite some time each time a
person tried to cross the border. But we never see her cross the border. Why not?
# 3. SONJA’S FAMILY - Two brothers
In the drama, we see Sonja’s parents: her father Sigvald Hansen and her mother Carmen Franciska Christina Kirsebom Hansen. Sonja had two brothers (Knut and Erik), but we never see them. They are not even mentioned. Why not?
Here is some information about them:
** Knut Wigert (1916-2006) was active in the Norwegian resistance; after the war he was an actor (like Sonja)
** Erik Wigert (1923-2018) was an engineer
It seems a bit odd that Sonja’s two brothers are neither seen nor mentioned.
A POSITIVE ELEMENT
One thing which is good in this drama is the fact that all characters speak a language which is proper for them.
The Germans speak German; the Norwegians speak Norwegian; and the Swedes speak Swedish. When Sonja and Andor Gellert are together, they speak English.
This is realistic. I am happy to see that this aspect of the drama has a high degree of historical accuracy.
CONCLUSION
Having said that, I still have to remove one star, because there are some flaws which cannot be overlooked. Therefore, I feel this drama deserves a rating of four stars.
*****
Sonja Wigert (1913-1980)
*****
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